Queens Park Rangers director of football Les Ferdinand has spoken about why clubs need to position themselves at the heart of their community amid the coronavirus pandemic.

After football was suspended, QPR offered Loftus Road to the NHS to be used as a medical base, while they are also topping up local food banks.

‘Now, more than ever, it’s a role we need to play,’ said Ferdinand, who is supporting GiveToLocal and their InspiredToGive campaign which aims to pump £10million into local communities.

Les Ferdinand has encouraged football clubs to assist their supporters in coronavirus crisis

‘As soon as the coronavirus came into play we offered the stadium as a local NHS medical base.

‘Very early on in the crisis we made it clear that anything we could do to help then we would do it.

‘We are continuing to monitor the situation and we’ll adapt what we can offer as things change.

‘We’re well aware that donations to food banks are down so we are making sure we still support the local food banks. We will do our bit for the community now, as we always do, and I’m very proud of the fact that we position ourselves at the heart of that community.

QPR have given their Loftus Road Stadium to the NHS to use as a medical base

‘Football has a way of galvanising communities and professional football can have the biggest influence of all in that respect. Whatever the crisis, the trauma or the disaster, football can breed positivity and bring people together and right now it can be a vehicle for positive change.

‘For the good of grassroots sport and the good of our communities everybody needs to pull together right now. GiveToLocal has got that right.

‘It’s not just the football community. This is affecting the global community. Everywhere we look, small businesses are on their knees and it’s down to communities up and down the country to pull together and recover together.

‘That sense of unity is the most important thing. It’s the underlying factor here.’